Lego pinhole camera

[Bshikin] built a pinhole camera out of Lego pieces (translated). It is a fully automated unit thanks to the integration of the NXT pieces. It took a bit of careful calculation to get the film spacing adjusted to match the focal length, and quite a bit of tape was necessary to keep light out of the film chamber. But in the end, it’s an amazing build that takes decent pictures. The software has settings for film size and speed, and takes care of exposing and advancing the frame at the click of a button. See for yourself after the break.

A pinhole camera is called that because instead of a lens, it uses a tiny pinhole poked in a thin piece of metal. This was the meaning of the term for more than a hundred years. A tiny spy camera, like what you’re talking about, used to be called a “buttonhole camera”, but no one understands anything about buttonholes anymore so they latched onto a much more common term that just “sounds” right.

So no, you’re not the only one who thinks a “pinhole camera” is a tiny video camera, but you’re wrong about what it is.